Artwork
Still Life
Still Life is a graphite drawing by Roger de La Fresnaye. It dates from 1920 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:in unknown hand, lower left: La Fresnay 20; upper center verso: [?] / 11a67
About this work
Overview
Roger de La Fresnaye’s drawing titled Still Life dates from around 1920. Executed on brown paper, the work combines graphite, pen, and white ink to render its composition. As a drawing rather than a painted piece, it reflects the artist’s exploration of line and tonal contrast during the early post‑World War I period.
Technique & Style
The piece employs a limited palette of graphite and white ink, applied with pen and drawing tools on a brown‑toned support. This approach emphasizes chiaroscuro effects, allowing the white ink to highlight forms against the darker background. The drawing’s linear precision and subtle shading are characteristic of de La Fresnaye’s graphic practice in the early 1920s.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1920, the work belongs to the later phase of de La Fresnaye’s career, when he was transitioning from Cubist influences toward a more personal visual language. While specific ownership details are not recorded here, the drawing is catalogued as a representative example of his early twentieth‑century draftsmanship.
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